What do you like about FlyerTalk?

OK, I will admit that Randy's post prompted me to create this thread, and he is welcome to steal it back, should he so desire.

So here is what I liked about Flyertalk.

I stumbled into FT in 1998 when I was planning our family's first trip to Europe--Spain to be specific. We had a bunch of AS miles to burn so I was out there looking for advice on how best to use them.

WOW, was I amazed at the wonderful group of people I found on FT. I was even more amazed at the abundance of their knowledge of miles and points.

Thanks to this wonderful group, we ended up in seats 8 A&B and 9 A&B on an old config BA 777. Our college-aged children were so impressed that we had our "own little private cabin". It was a great trip fabulously enhanced by advice I had received from my new FT friends. That was just the beginning. I don't remember how many miles we spent for these four tickets, but I do recall that the cost of our tickets would have been $66,000+ had we bought them with cold hard cash. We flew Seattle/London/Malaga/Barcelona/Majorca/London/Seattle. What a great memory.

Over the years I made many amazing friends all over the world and learned that you really can trust those crazy people you meet out there on the internet. It has been a truly enriching experience for me and my entire family.

We accumulated more miles and points than I ever thought possible, we traveled to exotic places all over the world where we were met by local friends who shared their cities and countries with us. We stayed in some of the most breathtaking suites in some of the most luxurious hotels in the world. Our life has been filled with far more joy than I ever thought possible.

Most important of all, is the friends we have made along the way. We have been blessed to share in many important real-life celebrations with those FT friends and look forward to even more exciting experiences in the future. I don't visit Flyertalk anymore, but its gifts continue to pour into my life and I trust they always will.

I like FT for the wealth of knowledge, but at the same time its so comprehensive that it can be hard to find what you're looking for. Then once someone posts the question, they get jumped on from the "veterans" to use search, etc. I've found it to be less friendly than it was.

this site needs to distinguish itself with travel information that is either one, not on FT or two, found much simpler on this site or three, those posting at FT only post here thereby causing current information to lag on FT, which I really don't see happening

so far, I don't see much difference so in the end people will still go to where the data is

In the olden days of FT, I liked going to events in other cities and being bemused by the various configurations of then-younger members shacking up with each other, and even more bemused by the occasional fits of petulance when things did not go somebody's way. I remember at one rather large event talking with a female FT member who was laughing at all the arrangements being made in the ladies restroom.

And of course, Mr. Furious.

Ahhh, memories.

Today, what do I like about FT? Flat Top. Oh, and long threads full of wonderfully arrogant DWKIA moments, about topics of particular torment to some members, such as little kids, inappropriate wine glasses, reposessed yachts, people calling the airline to see why they can't get a seat assignment on the $25 ticket to Timbuktu in F, and assorted other nuggets of joy.

And.... well I have to be careful here and talk in, well, generalities. Some of us are fortunate to have wonderful lives. Some of us (like me) have challenges that make communicating without being a jackass difficult. Some have other challenges such that travel and travel boards like FT (and probably someday MP) are their entire lives. Reading a couple of posts from the latter group, I was struck by the fact that their lives would be much more diminished without sites such as FT or MP.

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